Address master card



Sept. 1, 1970 HAJIME YosHlDA 3,526,262

ADDRESS MASTER CARD Filed May s, 196s mvENTon: BY HAJME YosHxDA ,MMM

ATTYS United States Patent Oce 3,526,262 Patented Sept. 1, 1970 3,526,262 ADDRESS MASTER CARD Hajime Yoshida, Tokyo, Japan, assignor to Scriptomatic, Inc., Philadelphia, Pa., a corporation of Delaware Filed May 3, 1968, Ser. No. 726,515

Claims priority, application Japan, May 5, 1967,

Int. Cl. B41m 5/10 U.S. Cl. 101-473 1 Claim ABSTRACT F THE DISCLOSURE A master card for use in addressing machines using the hectograph process and similar processes in which the carbon paper for the card is attached to one edge of the card in a position overlying the imprint face and has one marginal edge folded inwardly to cover the carbon-coated portion of the carbon paper to avoid smudging of the master card while in storage and prior to use.

The present invention relates to new and useful improvements in address master cards and the like of the type designed for use in conjunction with the hectograph process.

With master cards of this type, an address or other indicia is applied to an imprint area of the card and transferred to an envelope or other workpiece by applying a solvent to the envelope or workpiece and placing the master card in pressure applying relationship to the envelope or workpiece. The indicia is applied to the master card by placing a carbon paper having a hectograph carbon on it in contact with the master card and creating an impact force on the master card and carbon paper; for example, by means of a typewriter to transfer the carbon from the carbon paper to the card.

Prior to the present invention master cards and carbon paper were provided to the user separately and the user would carefully apply the carbon paper to the desired area of the card in a typewriter and transfer the carbon from the carbon paper to the card by striking the card with the desired typewriter keys. This process of irnprinting the master card is slow and time consuming and is extremely inefficient.

In some instances the master card has been supplied with a flat sheet of carbon paper pasted to the back of the card and the carbon in direct contact with the card. This construction has a serious defect in that during storage and handling of the cards prior to use the cards can become smudged by a transfer of the carbon to the imprint area of the card and when the cards are used to transfer the indicia to a workpiece, the smudges which are formed on the card will also be transferred to the workpiece. This is particularly serious because of the use of the hectographic type of carbon on the carbon paper which normally is protected by a clear wax coating but which becomes broken by impact so that a small force will cause a large quantity of carbon to be transferred to the card.

With the foregoing in mind a primary object of the present invention is to provide a master card with attached carbon paper in which the carbon is prevented from coming into contact with the card until such time as it is desired to use the card.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a novel master card with attached carbon in which the carbon will accurately overlie a predetermined area of the card when the card is prepared for use and in which the carbon paper and card are glued together along one end edge so that when the carbon is removed from the card there will be no glue on the face of the card which could possibly interfere with automatic feeding or stacking of the cards during subsequent use.

Still a further object of the present invention is to provide a novel master card and attached carbon paper which may be easily manufactured and assembled, which may be stored indefinitely without damage to the card and which may be easily and quickly prepared for use.

These and other objects of the present invention and the various features and details of the construction and use thereof are hereinafter more fully set forth and described with reference to the accompanying drawing in which:

FIG. 1 is a face view of the master card of the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a plan view of the carbon paper which is attached to the master card;

FIG. 3 is an enlarged fragmentary sectional view taken on line 3 3, FIG. l, showing the card and carbon paper in their normal position during storage; and

FIG. 4 is a perspective View of the card and attached carbon paper during partial unfolding of the carbon paper.

Referring more specically to the drawings, reference numeral 1 designates generally an address card, for example, of the type as shown in U.S. Pat. No. 3,215,072 owned by the assignee of this present application. The master card is formed of a at unitary sheet of paperboard and preferably has a thin center panel area 2 formed on the front face of the card. The imprint area of the card is on the rear or on the imprint face of the card and coincides with the back of the thin center panel 2 as described in the above identified patent.

In accordance with the present invention, a sheet of carbon paper 3 is adhesviely s ecured at its end edge to one end edge 4 of the card; foi example, by means of a strip of adhesvie 5 as shown in FIG. 3. The sheet of carbon paper 3 has a continuous strip of conventional hectographic carbon 6 applied thereto in a direction widthwise of the carbon paper in a position which directly overlies the imprint area of the card. The carbon paper is positioned on the card so that it is in contact with the imprint face of the card and has areas 7 and 8` at the upper and lower edges of the card to which no carbon is applied.

An important feature of the present invention is the provision of means for preventing the carbon on the carbon paper from contacting the imprint face of the card during storage of the card prior to use while still permitting the card to be easily and quickly prepared for use. This is accomplished by the present invention by providing a fold line 9 extending widthwise of the sheet of carbon paper across the lower uncoated section 8 of the sheet 3 and folding a portion of the lower uncoated section 8 of the paper inwardly and upwardly to the position as shown in FIG. 3 wherein it overlies the strip of carbon applied to the carbon sheet and separates the carbon from the imprint area of the card 1. To accomplish this, the length of the uncoated section of the lower uncoated section l8 of the carbon paper must be greater than the length of the strip of carbon coating on the carbon paper when measured in a direction longitudinally of the carbon paper so that when the lower uncoated section is folded upwardly, it will completely overlie the carbon coated section of the carbon paper. Also, the fold line must be positioned more than half way down the length of the carbon paper from the upper end of the paper so that when the lower section is folded upwardly along the fold line, it does not interfer with the adhesive connection between the upper end of the carbon paper and the end edge 4 of the card.

With this construction, when the card and carbon paper are assembled, the lower uncoated end portion of the carbon paper is folded inwardly and upwardly so that it overlies the strip of carbon coating on the carbon paper and maintains the strip of carbon coating out of contact with the imprint area of the card and also out of contact With any portion of the card. The carbon paper remains in this folded position during storage and handling of the card prior to use so that any squeezing or impact force applied to the card or carbon paper will not cause the carbon to be transferred to the card.

When it is desired to use the address card and form the indicia on the imprint area of the card the user merely has to grasp the card and unfold the carbon paper. The card and attached carbon paper may then be placed in a conventional typewriter in a position so that the type strikes against the central panel area 2 of the card to transfer the carbon from the carbon paper to the imprint area of the card. The card may then be removed from the typewriter and the carbon paper torn away from the card, thus providing a finished card which may be used to transfer the address or other indicia printed on the card to an envelope or other workpiece by use of the conventional hectographic duplicating process.

Whilel one embodiment of the present invention has been illustrated and described herein, changes and modilications may be incorporated and embodied therein within the scope of the following claim.

What is claimed is:

1. In a master card having an imprint face with a predetermined imprint area thereon 'adapted to receive indicia for transfer to a workpiece, said card being of generally rectangular shape with a straight upper end edge spaced from the imprint area, the improvement comprising: a thin rectangular sheet of flexible material overlying at least a portion of the imprint face of said mas'- ter card and completely overlying the imprint area of said master card, said sheet having a straight upper end edge adhesively secured to the upper end edge of said card, a strip of hectographic carbon coating applied to said sheet spaced from said upper end edge thereof in confronting relation to said imprint area of said card and overlying said imprint area, said sheet having an area free of carbon coating extending beyond said strip of carbon in a direction away from said upper end edge thereof with said area being of greater extent than the strip of carbon coating, and said area of said sheet being folded inwardly and upwardly upon itself with a portion of said area of said sheet completely overlying the strip of carbon coating on said sheet intermedite said strip of carbon coating and the imprint area of said card.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,118,888 5/1938 Lewis et al.

2,381,170 8/1945 Kendig lOl-473 XR 2,925,033 2/1960 Lundberg lOl-473 3,128,564 4/1964 Atherton lOl- 473 XR 3,215,072 11/1965 Kooch et al. 101-473 3,427,971 2/1969 Steber et al. lOl-473 ROBERT E. PULFREY, Primary Examiner C. D. CROWDER, Assistant Examiner U.S. Cl. XJR.

lOl- 369, 395 

